Director of the Institute for Design Engineering and Applications (IDEA) at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, his expertise includes engineering design, feedback control, system dynamics and robotics, with his principal research interest being human-robot interaction.

Colgate has worked extensively in the areas of haptic interface and teleoperation. He, along with Michael Peshkin, professor of mechanical engineering, is the inventor of a class of collaborative robots known as “cobots.” Cobots have been applied to industrial material handling, prosthetics and human factors studies.

He holds 12 U.S. patents and is co-founder of Stanley Cobotics, a manufacturer of human-assist devices for the industrial marketplace, and Chicago PT, LLC, a developer of robotic assists for physical rehabilitation.

Colgate has contributed significantly to the teaching of engineering design at Northwestern. He led the faculty team that developed the two-quarter Engineering Design and Communication sequence now required of all first-year engineers. Colgate also founded IDEA and developed the Certificate in Engineering Design, which may be earned by any engineering undergraduate along with a bachelor's degree.

Colgate has been recognized with numerous awards, including the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Leonardo Da Vinci Award for contributing significantly to design engineering and the Alumnae of Northwestern Teaching Professorship.